$2,850 starting price
251-300 guest capacity
This venue can host up to 300 guests
About this vendor
The McNay Art Museum offers a unique opportunity to entertain guests in a beautiful and historic setting. Offer your guests the chance to experience an internationally renowned art collection during your reception. Dine and dance in the elegant Leeper Auditorium and enjoy the oasis of the courtyard.
Amenities + details
Handicap Accessible
Indoor Event Space
Liability Insurance
Reception Area
Covered Outdoors Space
Dressing Room
On-Site Accommodations
Outdoor Event Space
Wireless Internet
Guest Capacity
- Up to 300
Settings
- Ballroom
- Historic Venue
- Museum
Reviews
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4.9
out of 5.044 reviews
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While the museum is beautiful and provides such a scenic setting for pictures, the museum event coordinator was not great. I understand the restrictions the museum has to maintain its beauty and integrity, and I was glad to do my part. My wedding coordinator and I were organized on our end and communicated regularly with the museum event coordinator. The last meeting two weeks before my wedding, the museum coordinator could not find my documents and had no idea of the package or anything I had rented. We rented the Contemporary Reception Package which includes the reception hall and two galleries from the museum. My guests and I were denied entrance to one of the galleries. There is no way that getting only half of the rental space was possible. When I contacted the museum event coordinator after this major issue, she only offered a discount for vow renewal. If you are to have the McNay Museum as your ceremony/reception venue, please make sure you are organized and prepared on your part to ensure things go the way you need.
Amazing Venue, Professional Staff!
We had our wedding at the McNay in April 2023 and had the best experience! They were responsive and helpful every step of the way, and working with Monica made planning easy on our part! The Staff was professional, they recommended high quality vendors, and were a pleasure to work with. The grounds of the museum are beautiful and provided many different backdrops for pictures. The venue itself is not particularly pricey, but some of the vendors they recommend are on the higher end. However the quality they provide is 100% worth it! We could not be happier with how our event turned out!
My wife and I just had our wedding reception at the McNay on a beautiful November evening. The McNay is absolutely gorgeous and is the perfect venue in San Antonio for a medium to large wedding. It has something for everyone – a beautiful outdoor grounds, a perfect courtyard, and a wonderful lighted reception hall and galleries. The staff are great to work with and were very helpful with anything we needed leading up to the wedding.
We had our wedding there October 2021 and it was the best experience in every sense! Monica was awesome to work with and the venue was everything we hoped for. We had a great night and our guests keep complimenting our reception! Don't hesitate to secure this venue if you are looking for an unforgettable night!
We had our daughter's wedding ceremony and reception at McNay Art Museum in October 2019, and what a fabulous event it was! The entire property is beautiful and our out of state guests were just amazed at the grounds, the galleries, and the reception hall. Such a unique venue!
The sound was good, the dance floor spacious, and the lighting specialist magically transformed the auditorium into a beautiful reception hall.
The event coordinator, Monica, is a gem, also. She is one of the most organized, knowledgeable, and responsive professional we've had the pleasure of knowing.
To say it was a flawless evening is not an exaggeration.
Richard and Dina Houston
We had our reception at the McNay, and we couldn't have picked a more beautiful venue. Shout out to the light specialist who made the ballroom look beautiful!! Also, Monica was amazing to work with - very responsive and helpful!
The Mcnay is beautiful on its own, which made this the perfect place to get married!! The detail inside and out is stunning, and they accommodated everything we needed for our wedding!! Monica and her staff are AMAZING. If you haven’t been here, run. Don’t walk. And then get married here!!
The McNay is a beautiful place to get married! We planned to have our ceremony outside and reception inside, but unfortunately it rained all day of the wedding. The McNay was great. All my vendors were able to move the ceremony inside into the McNay auditorium and then flip the room into a reception space afterwards. It is an ideal space for a large guest count- as we had over 400 attendants. Also, it is easy to make your own vision in the space. It looks completely different depending on the couple and the color schemes.
My wedding at McNay Art Museum was Beautiful! The first time I saw it I knew it was the place for the wedding of our dreams! Monica at the McNay is simply the very Best! She is organized , flexible, professional and knowledgeable about everything regarding the McNay! She keeps
Her clients informed of things in their contract and keeps all involved on schedule! There are “No surprises” when you select this venue for wedding or reception! She has a great working relationship with the vendors selected which was great! She keeps the Bride/Groom on point! It’s a beautiful places on its on but everyone there was helpful, professional and wanted out Day to be Amazinh!The McNay was so beautiful the day of wedding! Monica you are Amazing!! Thank you for making our wedding planning stress free and our wedding memorable not only for us but for our guest!! You are a true asset to McNay Art Museum!
Ericka & Misael De Leon
The Mansion is gorgeous and the courtyard is one of the top things that people remarked about. The grounds are lovely (even in the middle of summer), and the reception hall was perfect for our 220-person reception with band. Our McNay coordinator, Monica, was very helpful in explaining everything and setting expectations, as well as working with vendors for site visits. They were understandably strict when it came to time for loading and start time. But beyond that, everything was perfect--we couldn't have imagined a better venue for our reception.
I couldn't have chosen a better venue for our wedding!! It was unique to San Antonio and the staff couldn't have been more accommodating for our guest that night. I was sure there would be plenty of complaining but I never heard a thing from anyone - it was a miracle! Considering I had to plan my entire wedding from Dallas, Monica had recommendations and reassured me everything was going to be okay every time she heard the stress in my voice. The McNay is a San Antonio landmark and an experience your guest will never forget - the beauty in the building itself is enough... you can't go wrong.
We had our wedding reception at the McNay during the last weekend of Fiesta, San Antonio's annual city-wide event. Our goal was to incorporate the color and spirit of the city culture while retaining the elegance of a semi-formal wedding. The McNay was absolutely perfect. The traditional Spanish design and colorful talavera tiles accompanied with the world class art and large reception space facilitated the "elegant fiesta" that we wanted. Monica at the McNay was a gem and very honestly and informatively helped us coordinate our vision.
As with any wedding, there will be unforeseen costs outside of the sticker price - nice lighting, AV, rentals, etc., are not included but the overall venue expenses were well worth the experience. If I were to do it all over again, I would still have my reception at the McNay.
The venue is seriously breathtaking. From the gorgeous landscaping, the amazing art galleries, and the great leaper auditorium- this venue has it all. What I especially loved about it was the venue coordinator Monica. She is so easy to work with and is very easy to get in touch with during the entire wedding process. I felt she went above and beyond to make sure our wedding would be perfect. Another thing I loved about this venue is that the other lighting services are provided through the venue. There is no outside looking for lighting, gobos, etc. They are accommodating and provided exactly what we envisioned. It is a bit on the pricey side, but it was beyond worth it. Thank you to all the staff and especially Monica for creating the reception of our dreams!!!
For the bride who dreams of a magical and romantic wedding, McNay Art Museum makes dreams come true. From the moment we met with Monica, the events coordinator, we knew that for the next year of planning, we would be in capable and supportive hands. She communicated with us continuously throughout the process and alleviated the stress of planning this important event. We could not have asked for a more perfect evening. Of course, the venue was stunning from the moment we walked through the lush grounds to enter the impressive mansion. And then to be able to offer guests the opportunity to view masterpieces from the world's most significant artists--what a privilege. McNay Art Museum is the ideal wedding venue--the total package!
We had our wedding ceremony in front of the Koehler Fountain and our reception inside the Leeper Auditorium. There were a few hiccups along the way, but nothing earth-shattering or truly upsetting. Overall, we absolutely loved our wedding and the McNay is the perfect setting. We received so many compliments on the venue from start to finish. My favorite thing was that this venue needed little to no additional decor because it is already stunning on its own. The architecture, art, grounds, and facilities are just lovely. We had 220 guests and everyone fit comfortably inside the Leeper for our reception and accommodated a good-sized dance floor. The main things to note: there are a lot of rules regarding the McNay and many are inflexible (ceremony/rehearsal times due to guests on the grounds or normal opening hours), no flame candles in the Leeper Auditorium-- must all be LED, we had a miscommunication about lighting outdoors for the ceremony by the fountain, we ended up choosing no additional lighting because the only viable option presented to us would have put us $1,000 over budget, so I wish that part would have been more clearly communicated on the front end. Also, vendors work on a tight timeline with setup and whatnot based on museum policies. However, Monica (from the McNay) was very responsive, helpful and buttoned up with her details. She kept our file and invoices up to date, sent reminders and information and options which helped us a ton. I should also mention that our wedding coordinator has done many weddings at the McNay and has a close working relationship with Monica--I think this familiarity with the venue and trust from Monica helped our wedding to go off without a hitch. I am very grateful for that! The last thing I'll note is that while the McNay has a list of approved caterers, a pleasant surprise we learned of was that (to my knowledge) they don't charge their caterers a commission fee that gets passed onto the client. My husband and I found this out when working with a venue downtown and were upset because they failed to disclose the massive commission fees on food and alcohol that we were going to have to pay for...when we were required to use their caterer! We went back to the caterer and asked what venues in SA don't charge them commission and they said the McNay...voila, we went on a tour and knew we wouldn't want to get married anywhere else! Very very happy with our wedding and would certainly recommend.
As soon as we walked into the McNay we knew it was the perfect venue for us. The property is obviously beautiful, but the auditorium can truly be amazing as well. The rental coordinator, Monica, was more helpful than I could have ever imagined. We had our heart set on having our ceremony in the Blackburn Patio (the outdoor courtyard in the middle of the museum), even though this isn't typically where ceremonies take place. Monica helped make our dream a reality and provided layouts, photos, and her expertise to all of our vendors to be sure everything was perfect. She also helped us choose uplighting and gobos for the auditorium for our reception, and in the end it looked incredible. On our big day many of our guests told me it was the best wedding they've ever been to, and I'm still getting emails and texts about how incredible the McNay was. It was truly our dream wedding, and I know a big reason for it's success was Monica's help! She guided us through the entire process and always had an answer for my seemingly endless questions within an hour or two, and was always kind and enthusiastic. We truly felt like she cared about making our wedding day perfect, and it definitely showed in the end. I can't recommend the McNay highly enough!
If you're looking for a unique wedding venue in San Antonio that will make guests feel like they're in paradise, you've come to the right place! Having our wedding at the McNay was hands down the best decision we could have made. From the breathtaking venue itself to its staff, like Monica, it was more than we could have imagined. To this day, more than 6 months after our wedding, our guests are still talking about what a beautiful venue this was. It's definitely an experience, and something you and your guests will always remember. Thank you to everyone involved in making our day so special!
As soon as we walked into the McNay we knew it was the perfect venue for us. The property is obviously beautiful, but the auditorium can truly be amazing as well. The rental coordinator, Monica, was more helpful than I could have ever imagined. We had our heart set on having our ceremony in the Blackburn Patio (the outdoor courtyard in the middle of the museum), even though this isn't typically where ceremonies take place. Monica helped make our dream a reality and provided layouts, photos, and her expertise to all of our vendors to be sure everything was perfect. She also helped us choose uplighting and gobos for the auditorium for our reception, and in the end it looked incredible. On our big day many of our guests told me it was the best wedding they've ever been to, and I'm still getting emails and texts about how incredible the McNay was. It was truly our dream wedding, and I know a big reason for it's success was Monica's help! She guided us through the entire process and always had an answer for my seemingly endless questions within an hour or two, and was always kind and enthusiastic. We truly felt like she cared about making our wedding day perfect, and it definitely showed in the end. I can't recommend the McNay highly enough!
Before booking with the McNay, be aware of what you can/can't do. We used the Leeper Auditorium for our reception, and it was breathtaking, but we weren't able to see our uplighting prior. Monica assured us though that the color scheme for our reception would look exactly like the photos. Also, be aware that you will be charged per table and per chair (if you choose to go with the tables and chairs they have on site). Everything at the museum is a la carte (uplighting, pin lighting, tables, chairs, projector, etc). For our send off, they're very limited in what we could use due to strict museum policies. Also, they end promptly at midnight, so be sure to plan accordingly. Our DJ had to cut off right at that time and cost us our last dance. Despite all the constraints, I would highly recommend the McNay if it is within your budget. My wife and I were able to get beautiful pictures with our favorite pieces in the exhibit, throughout the grounds and in the auditorium.
I had my ceremony and reception at the McNay Art Museum. Everything flowed perfectly, from the ceremony on the lawn, to cocktail hour in the courtyard (with guests being allowed to tour some of the galleries) to the octagon room for the bar and miscellaneous table set ups, and finally to the auditorium for the reception. All of the guests were so in awe of the beauty the McNay offered. It was a seamless night. This is a museum so they are a bit strict with certain things, so as long as you have an open mind in knowing that, then you are good to go!
I cannot express how happy I was with my wedding venue, it was perfect! I used the McNay for my wedding reception on Aug. 22, 2015. Monica the museum's event coordinator is wonderful and extremely helpful. She is so organized always responded quickly to all my emails and phone calls. She made sure I had all the necessary information about their preferred vendor list, which made the search a lot easier. She even made me a diagram of the furniture setup inside the Leeper (reception site) and I was able to give it to all my vendors. Whatever question or request I had, Monica always followed through. It was worth every penny to have my wedding here. Beautiful facility with excellent service from Monica.
The McNay Art Museum is an absolutely beautiful venue! Monica R. did an excellent job of assisting me throughout the process, helping me with the lighting and a/v vendors, as well as all aspects of the reception planning. I booked pretty far in advance, so would definitely recommend doing so if you're interested in the venue. I will note that a lot of items are not included in the rental price, including lighting, table and chair rentals, insurance and SAPD (if having alcohol). Good news is you can bring in your own alcohol which is a great way to save money. Also, wonderful way to utilize indoor and outdoor space, having our cocktail hour on the patio and reception inside. All of our guests loved the venue and I've never received so many compliments!
As cheesy as it may sound, I always knew I wanted to have my wedding reception at the McNay. My friends and I used to eat off-campus lunch there in high school, so I was intimately familiar with its gorgeous grounds and historic beauty.
When my Big Day finally came around, I went straight to the McNay to book them for the wedding of my dreams! There are so many perks to this venue: the extensive and well manicured grounds, the gorgeousness and historic quality of the exterior of the museum, the absolutely beautiful outdoor patio space for cocktail hour, the fact that you can provide your own alcohol (what a $$ saver!) and the fact that some galleries are open for guest viewing during cocktail hour!
Our guests raved about what a gorgeous setting the McNay is for a wedding reception. They are easy to work with and very accommodating, allowing me to have multiple site visits with my wedding planner in plan everything to the last detail!
Also, their lighting director, John, is an absolute genius! He can truly do anything you want with the Leeper Auditorium - for us, he created a beautiful amber glow with fade into red (for behind the band area) and also hung multiple Spanish lanterns from the ceiling over the head table! It was so magical!
All in all, I would definitely recommend the McNay to any bride who wants a truly gorgeous and historic wedding venue that will wow her guests!
They were so great to work with and really helped to make my day perfect. I loved every second of my wedding and it wouldn't have been near as great if it weren't for the McNay. Bonus: It is the most beautiful place.
The McNay is an amazing venue for a wedding. We had our reception there with about 250 guests in attendance. The best thing about this venue is that even though the reception hall can only seat 250 there was plenty of room if more guests had come. I would definitely recommend using a day of coordinator if you choose this venue because all vendors have to be outsourced. Our wedding was absolutely gorgeous and everyone really enjoyed the art exhibits that are on display for the cocktail hour.
This really is one of the most beautiful venues in San Antonio! I didn't spend any money on decorations because the venue doesn't need it. I just had the bare minimum in terms of flowers and linens. And the event coordinator at the McNay is so easy to work with. They do have several rules/conditions, but none of them were deal breakers by any means. So many of our guests commented on how beautiful the wedding and reception were and that they were happy they got to experience that section of the McNay as they'd never had the opportunity before.
This place made my job easy! So beautiful!
I'm so glad that we ended up having our wedding at the Mcnay. I was a little worried when they switched Event Rental Coordinators right after I signed the contract but Elise was wonderful to work with. She was responsive to emails and phone calls and she was able to help me coordinate the lighting (which was gorgeous!!) and the chairs without any issues. Everyone at the wedding loved the courtyard and the auditorium. If you book this venue I suggest that you add lighting to the package, it really made a difference.
The McNay Art Museum was my dream venue, it was beautiful and perfect. The only negative was that every detail was "a la carte". The tables and chairs were a seperate cost, the lighting (which was beautiful) was a separate cost, and their list of preferred vendors was short. Elise, the coordinator was great. The lighting tech ran a little behind, but was done in time.
That being said, the venue was perfect, and I am still receiving compliments. Truly a dream wedding venue.
We had our reception only here. The only negative is the time crunch. We waited outside for a while before our party was allowed in, but we used that time for our private photo shoot. Families took pictures, our photog took pictures, it worked out great.
We used the McNay for our reception venue. It was fabulous and really wowed our guests. The stage provided a great setting for our band which really set the McNay apart from other venues. I would recommend this venue to anyone in the San Antonio area!
My day was perfect and the decision to use the Mcnay was the best idea it was simply beautiful and everything I could have wanted
McNay was a GORGEOUS venue - our guests are still raving! Gloria, the McNay event coordinator, was gracious & professional in every way. She made the experience so smooth & went above and beyond the call of duty to answer questions and make special arrangements for us (we were probably more picky than most clients). Everything was perfect, we could nto have been more pleased with this venue. Our 11/19/11 wedding will be featured on the San Antonio Weddings website - check that feature for photos of the McNay in all its glory.
I love the McNay, it is a beautiful location for a wedding and it was so perfect for us! Gloria was very helpful and stayed with us the whole night. Since we first booked, Gloria helped us in making the experience a lot easier. It's a bit costly but it was well worth the memories.
Gloria from the McNay was extremely nice to work with. She was very helpful, professional and responsive. The reception looked beautiful. John made the lighting look fabulous. The staff was efficient the night of and even the security guards were friendly. It was picture perfect.
The McNay serves as the most perfect wedding venue. The grounds outside were lush and green making the perfect backdrop to an outdoor wedding. The courtyard area needed little to no decorating since it is filled with greenery, a pond, and art. The Leeper was everything I wanted...dark hardwood floors, long curtains and beautiful lighting. Overall, I loved having my wedding at the McNay. It was classy, elegant and artsy!
I would not have chosen a different place to get married and have my reception. It was gorgeous and all of my guests loved it. There were several different areas to use, and the Leeper was a great space. Having access to the art museum was a great bonus for art lovers.
There were several restrictions, though. No candles are allowed indoors (we used flameless ones). You could only use the McNay's one lighting person, which was definitely more expensive (we ended up not using any fancy lighting even though I wanted uplighting and a gobo due to the price...there is a dinner lighting setting and a darker setting for dance we used for free). No drinks are allowed in the gallery area, so when people were looking around during cocktail hour, they could not bring in their drinks. Also, because of the water restrictions (in May), the fountain had to be shut off, which means we had to shift the ceremony location....something to keep in mind.
But overall, this was a great place to wed. I would recommend it even though it may be pricier than some venues.
The McNay is a wonderful place to get married. We had both our ceremony and reception there. Gloria is very professional and easy to work with. We had our ceremony by the fountain which is a phenomenal outdoor location. The auditorium can really transform into whatever look you want.
Our wedding reception was held at the McNay Art Museum and we could not have been happier with the results! Gloria is wonderful to work with and can provide lots of advice when planning your event. You do have to select one of the caterers from their approved list and must use their lighting vendor, but we were happy with both.
Side Notes: Do not have a separate room to have someone watch kids (if you are looking for that).
This place is absolutely gorgeous! It is so beautiful and classy. The architecture is so pretty and if you are an art fan, it makes perfect sense to have a wedding here, The staff is very professional and remained that way throughout the entire event.
The McNay is a beautiful location before any flowers or lighting are even added! The courtyard is the perfect place for cocktail hour, and the Leeper auditorium makes a good blank canvas for any style of wedding. The perfect backdrop for wedding photos! But be aware: as it is a working art museum, security and event insurance must be taken into consideration. The staff at the McNay have facilitated many weddings and are very good at walking you through what needs to get done.
I had my bridal portraits at the McNay, it was beautiful. The employees are sticklers so make sure you pay to get on the grounds to take your photos, and not to lean any where near any sculptures.
Culture and warmth of the museum courtyard and auditorium. Museum contacts are wonderful.;Venue is expensive - and all catering lighting etc. must be contracted separately.
Contact
6000 N. New Braunfels, San Antonio, TX
McNay Art Museum
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